October 2011

10/28/2011

Back in the 1970s when episodes of the Planet of the Apes TV series were repackaged as two-hour movies for television syndication, Roddy McDowall put on his makeup to portray an elderly Galen in epilogues to the films. Below are a pair of them.

10/18/2011

Rise of the Planet of the Apes continues to impress, the global box office for the film having reached $430.7 million (making it by far the most lucrative entry in the 40+ year franchise). The breakdown is $175.3 million in America with $255.4 million coming in from overseas. And, as has often been stated on this site, with a $93 million production budget and figuring in the cost of prints and advertising, that means Rise is nearly $250 million in profit — not counting whatever comes in from Blu-ray/DVDs, cable, TV, etc.

A single act of both compassion and arrogance leads to a battle unlike any other when RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES makes its worldwide debut on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download on December 13th in North America and starting December 7th Internationally. From the Oscar-winning® visual effects team that brought to life the worlds of Avatar and Lord of the Rings comes revolutionary new ground - a CGI ape that delivers a dramatic performance of unprecedented emotion and intelligence, and epic battles on which rest the upended destinies of man and primate. James Franco (127 Hours) stars as Will Rodman, a neuroscientist living in San Francisco trying to develop a cure for Alzheimer’s disease by testing on chimpanzees, giving them a human level of intelligence. After a test subject’s baby, Caesar, is orphaned, Will decides to raise him at home on his own with his Alzheimer-stricken father (John Lithgow; Dexter). What begins simply as a continuation of his experiment quickly turns into a problem for Will, as Caesar is taken away from him and forced to live in a primate facility. As Caesar’s intelligence continues to grow, he begins to stake his claim as the leader of his new primate counterparts, which will ultimately lead to the RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. Directed by Rupert Wyatt (The Escapist), this special effects blockbuster features fantastic supporting performances from Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire), Brian Cox (Red), Tom Felton (Harry Potter films) and Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) in a ground-breaking performance.